


All Girls Together

by El Staplador (elstaplador)



Category: Girls series - Wilson
Genre: Coming Out, F/F, Female Friendship, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-22
Updated: 2009-12-22
Packaged: 2017-10-05 00:22:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elstaplador/pseuds/El%20Staplador
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first day of term, and, once again, the girls have some catching up to do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All Girls Together

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Just Wolf](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Just+Wolf).



It's the first day of term, and I'm late. New school – well, college, actually – same old story. Good start, Ellie. Maybe they'll be a bit more laid back about it at Grover Sixth Form College than they were at Anderson High. They're more laid back about the uniform, at least – no problem with makeup or piercings, trousers are fine, any top so long as it's white, and, so long as your tie is visible somewhere about your person, they don't care. So says Magda, whose family have been there since the year dot.

Thinking about Magda, and Nadine, for that matter, puts a spring in my step. I haven't seen them for ages – two weeks, that is – having been away with my family in Holiday Destination de Luxe. Venice? Barcelona? Paris? No, soggy Wales, as per usual. I won't waste time telling you about it, because nothing interesting happened; I didn't even see Loser Dan. For this relief, much thanks. Anyway, it's been far too long since I saw my two best friends, and I'm dying to catch up with them. We had a sleepover round at my place the night before we went away (after promising Dad and Anna that we'd keep the noise down, not stay up too late, etc, etc) and so much has happened since then. Well, probably. At least, it hasn't to me, but it might have done to them.

Magda's in my new form; Nadine isn't. But that's OK – apparently we're in the same group for PSE (bo-ring!) so I'll see her in the last class before lunch. Anyway, like I said, there's plenty of catching up to do with Magda, who's straining the relaxed uniform rules to their limit. She's got a snazzy new hairdo, too, short and spiky, and she raves about the hairdresser for a while. Then she demands to know about my holiday in excruciating detail, even though I tell her repeatedly that it really Wasn't That Exciting. And then the bell rings (yes, they still have bells here, apparently) and it's time for first period, and Magda hasn't even begun to tell me what she's been up to.

 First up is English (lit), which, ironically, is my 'can't decide what else to pick, let's go for something I'm reasonably good at' option. I might drop it after AS level. Or I might not. We'll see. I can't really tell on the basis of one lesson, and, besides, I'm too excited about seeing Nadine again to pay much attention. But there's hardly any time to chat before the next class begins. PSE starts straight in with the heavy stuff. Mr Cartwright has brought in a clipping from one of the London newspapers about a homophobic attack on a guy last week, and pretty soon there's some heated discussion going on.

A guy behind me says, 'Look, whether it's ok to be gay or whether it's not, it's definitely wrong to beat someone up over it.' And suddenly we're talking about whether it's ok to be gay, and I'm just trying to sort out my own thoughts on the issue – what about Dream Dan? What about Anna's cousin Sophie? - when I turn to look at Nadine, and I see she's gone a dull red all the way from the base of her neck to her forehead. Which is interesting, because I didn't know she had a problem with homosexuality.

There's no time to think about that, though, because Mr Cartwright is asking my opinion. 'Erm,' I say. 'I don't really know. I mean, I know a few people who are gay, and so far as I can see they're no better or worse people than any others.'

He nods, as if I've actually said something quite profound. 'Thank you,' he says. 'That's a good point.'

Then one of the less mature ex-Anderson boys asks, 'Sir, how do lesbians  _do it_ , anyway?' and half the room erupts into hysterics. Not Nadine, though. Whatever she's thinking – and I really need to ask her – she's not finding it funny.

Mr Cartwright raises his eyebrows, and says, 'You will come to learn, Andrew, that, contrary to popular belief, sexual intercourse can be completed without the presence of the almighty penis.'

And that sets most of the other half off, though whether they're appreciating the putdown, or just finding the grown-up words hilarious, I can't tell. Not much more work goes on for the rest of the class. Homework (yes, it still exists in sixth form) is to collect some clippings on a related theme. ' _Not_ from your favourite porno mag, please, gentlemen,' says Mr Cartwright.

He lets us go five minutes early, and as soon as I've wrestled my notebook into my bag Nadine grabs my wrist and drags me out of the room and across the hall. 'Steady on,' I protest, as she hauls me across the hall. 'You know what I'm like with physical exercise.'

Nadine doesn't say a word until we're in the cafe, where Magda's saved us a table. I sit down and attempt to get my breath back. Nadine's redder than ever, but I figure that's the exertion.

'Well?' Magda says. Nadine shakes her head; Magda tut-tuts at her. 'Ellie,' she says, 'we have something to tell you.'

'Damn right you have,' I say, 'I haven't seen you for two weeks.  _Something_ must have happened while I was away.'

'Something has,' Nadine says, and at the same time Magda says, 'No,  _we_ have something to tell you. We. Nadine-and-me.'

She can't mean what I think she means. Can she? She does. It's a good job I'm already sitting down. 'Hang on,' I say. 'What?'

I thought it wasn't possible for Nadine to get any redder, but she is. 'Magda and I – are – are...'

'A couple,' Magda puts in helpfully.

'What?' I say again. 'When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?' But I know already – it's happened in the last two weeks, and they couldn't tell me because I've had no bloody mobile phone reception.

'We wanted to tell you face to face,' Nadine explains, 'and we both wanted to be there.'

'OK,' I say. I'm still fairly shell-shocked, so I try to focus on one detail at a time. 'So what happened?'

'Actually,' Magda said, 'it was at your sleepover. Do you remember going to sleep some time during  _Dirty Dancing_ ?'

I nod. Obviously I don't remember the going to sleep part, but I do remember waking up ten minutes before the end. 'Go on, then.'

'You were in the armchair, and we were on the sofa.'

I remember. Magda was curled up in one corner, and at the other side Nadine was sitting side-on with her back against the arm, hugging her knees. And I was tired, two thirds of a bottle of red not having helped matters, and even the undeniable attractions of Patrick Swayze were evidently not enough to keep me awake... 'So what happened?'

'Magda kissed me,' Nadine says, and Magda says, 'Nadine kissed me.'

'You started it,' Nadine says.

Magda doesn't argue. 'It seemed like the thing to do at the time,' she says. 'Anyway, you... _looked_ at me.'

I was asleep, but I can imagine it. Nadine stretched her legs out, brushed Magda's, perhaps. An awkward giggle, but neither of them would quite dare to move away. Slowly, slowly, they would move closer, careful not to wake me, careful not to look each other in the eye, until Nadine looked up, and Magda looked down, and there would be no turning back from that... and it feels a bit weird to be thinking about it at all, so I stop.

They're both looking sheepish but proud, and somewhere between apprehensive and ecstatic, and my heart turns over looking at them. There's a lot I want to ask them, but all I can say is, 'You could have told me before I left.'

'We had things to talk about,' Nadine says apologetically, 'it being a bit of a surprise. To both of us.'

'All the same. You know, when I woke up. Before we went to bed. Something like that.'

'Oh, because that would have gone well,' Magda says. 'Wakey, wakey, Ellie, guess what, I just snogged your best friend.'

'Your  _other_ best friend,' Nadine says anxiously. 'We're still friends, Ellie? Aren't we?'

'Of course we are, you silly woman,' I say. A thought occurs to me. 'Does your mum know?' I ask her. I can't see that one going down well.

Nadine winces. 'No. She'll have to sooner or later, but I'm not quite brave enough at the moment.'

'Fair enough,' I say. And, thinking about it, that clinches it for me. If it's not going to go down well with Nadine's mum - and it isn't - then I've got no choice but to be on Nadine's side. Funnily enough, that makes it a lot easier. 'Sorry,' I say. 'I'm just knocked over sideways, and can you blame me?'

'Spose not,' Magda grins, and I see it there, in her grin: she's still Magda. 'All the same, nothing's changed, not really,'

As far as I'm concerned, everything's changed, but I'm willing to be convinced. They've obviously talked about this a lot, and I can't help feeling a pang of jealousy – not because I've ever pictured myself in a romantic relationship with either of them, but because this is something that they share that I never will. Not with them.

Nadine seems to guess what I'm thinking. 'Look,' she says, 'you two are still my favourite girls in the world.'

'And you two are mine. Always will be,' Magda says, and she's holding Nadine's hand, and winking at me.

'And,' I say, 'you two are my favourite girls in the whole world, and you'd bloody well better make each other happy.'

And God knows it's going to take me a while to get to grips with this one, but that seems to be a decent point from which to start.


End file.
